Decision feedback equalizer

ABSTRACT

A device including an equalizer that includes a first input configured to receive an input signal, a second input configured to receive a reference signal, and a third input configured to receive an adjustment signal. The equalizer also includes a first output configured to transmit a corrected signal, wherein the corrected signal is generated based on data outputs controlled via the input signal, the reference signal, and a clock signal, wherein the data outputs are modified based on the first adjustment signal, wherein corrected signal offsets inter-symbol interference on the input signal based on a data bit received at the first input prior to reception of the input signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/841,144, entitled “Decision Feedback Equalizer,” and filed Dec. 13, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. ______ which issued on ______, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of semiconductor memory devices. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to using a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) circuit of a semiconductor memory device to correct distortions in transmitted signals.

Description of the Related Art

The operational rate of memory devices, including the data rate of a memory device, has been increasing over time. As a side effect of the increase in speed of a memory device, data errors due to distortion may increase. For example, inter-symbol interference between transmitted data whereby previously received data influences the currently received data may occur (e.g., previously received data affects and interferes with subsequently received data). One manner to correct for this interference is through the use of a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) circuit, which may be programmed to offset (i.e., undo, mitigate, or offset) the effect of the channel on the transmitted data.

Additionally, correcting distortions in the transmitted signals continues to be important. However, conventional distortion correction techniques may not adequately correct the distortions of the signal. Errors that result from slow processes of conventional distortion correction techniques cause additional distortions to the final data, thus reducing the reliability of data transmitted within the memory devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of this disclosure may better be understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating certain features of a memory device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a data transceiver of the I/O interface of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of the data transceiver of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a second embodiment of the data transceiver of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a distortion correction circuit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a circuit diagram of a portion of the decision feedback equalizer (DFE) of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a distortion correction circuit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a circuit diagram of a portion of the DFE of FIG. 7, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of a distortion correction circuit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a distortion correction circuit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a circuit diagram of a portion of the DFE of FIG. 10, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a fifth embodiment of a distortion correction circuit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates a sixth embodiment of a distortion correction circuit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for correction distortion, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

Using a feedback equalizer (DFE) of a memory device to perform distortion correction techniques may be valuable, for example, to correctly compensate for distortions in the received data of the memory device. This insures that accurate values are being stored in the memory of the memory device. The DFE may use previous bit data to create corrective values to compensate for distortion resulted from the previous bit data. For example, the most recent previous bit may have more of a distortion effect on the current bit than a bit transmitted several data points before, causing the corrective values to be different between the two bits. With these levels to correct for, the DFE may operate to correct the distortion of the transmitted bit.

In some embodiments, the DFE may utilize multiple bits of previous data in order to precisely calculate the distortion correction factor. In further embodiments, when multiple bits are received and processed, a DFE may not receive a corrective voltage for a distorted bit from the most recent bit, as there may be an added time delay of correcting a distorted bit while waiting for the corrective voltage from the most recent bit. This technique and associated hardware reduces the delay in correcting distorted bits due to delays in receiving previous bits by applying a correction to the distorted bit from an assumed value of the previous bit (e.g., assumed logic high or logic low), and passing this bit to a selection circuit. Once the previous bit is known, a selection of the correct distorted bit is made from the distorted bit corrected with the assumption. This technique and associated hardware may allow for multiple bits to be received and processed nearly simultaneously, leading to a very efficient system that may process distortions of received bits more quickly than may be accomplished via traditional DFE solutions.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating certain features of a memory device 10. Specifically, the block diagram of FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating certain functionality of the memory device 10. In accordance with one embodiment, the memory device 10 may be a double data rate type five synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR5 SDRAM) device. Various features of DDR5 SDRAM allow for reduced power consumption, more bandwidth and more storage capacity compared to prior generations of DDR SDRAM.

The memory device 10, may include a number of memory banks 12. The memory banks 12 may be DDR5 SDRAM memory banks, for instance. The memory banks 12 may be provided on one or more chips (e.g., SDRAM chips) that are arranged on dual inline memory modules (DIMMS). Each DIMM may include a number of SDRAM memory chips (e.g., x8 or x16 memory chips), as will be appreciated. Each SDRAM memory chip may include one or more memory banks 12. The memory device 10 represents a portion of a single memory chip (e.g., SDRAM chip) having a number of memory banks 12. For DDR5, the memory banks 12 may be further arranged to form bank groups. For instance, for an 8 gigabit (Gb) DDR5 SDRAM, the memory chip may include 16 memory banks 12, arranged into 8 bank groups, each bank group including 2 memory banks. For a 16 GB DDR5 SDRAM, the memory chip may include 32 memory banks 12, arranged into 8 bank groups, each bank group including 4 memory banks, for instance. Various other configurations, organization and sizes of the memory banks 12 on the memory device 10 may be utilized depending on the application and design of the overall system.

The memory device 10 may include a command interface 14 and an input/output (I/O) interface 16 configured to exchange (e.g., receive and transmit) signals with external devices. The command interface 14 is configured to provide a number of signals (e.g., signals 15) from an external device (not shown), such as a processor or controller. The processor or controller may provide various signals 15 to the memory device 10 to facilitate the transmission and receipt of data to be written to or read from the memory device 10.

As will be appreciated, the command interface 14 may include a number of circuits, such as a clock input circuit 18 and a command address input circuit 20, for instance, to ensure proper handling of the signals 15. The command interface 14 may receive one or more clock signals from an external device. Generally, double data rate (DDR) memory utilizes a differential pair of system clock signals, referred to herein as the true clock signal (Clk_t/) and the complementary clock signal (Clk_c). The positive clock edge for DDR refers to the point where the rising true clock signal Clk_t/ crosses the falling complementary clock signal Clk_c, while the negative clock edge indicates that transition of the falling true clock signal Clk_t and the rising of the complementary clock signal Clk_c. Commands (e.g., read command, write command, etc.) are typically entered on the positive edges of the clock signal and data is transmitted or received on both the positive and negative clock edges.

The clock input circuit 18 receives the true clock signal (Clk_t/) and the complementary clock signal (Clk_c) and generates an internal clock signal CLK. The internal clock signal CLK is supplied to an internal clock generator 30, such as a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit. The internal clock generator 30 generates a phase controlled internal clock signal LCLK based on the received internal clock signal CLK. The phase controlled internal clock signal LCLK is supplied to the I/O interface 16, for instance, and is used as a timing signal for determining an output timing of read data.

The internal clock signal CLK may also be provided to various other components within the memory device 10 and may be used to generate various additional internal clock signals. For instance, the internal clock signal CLK may be provided to a command decoder 32. The command decoder 32 may receive command signals from the command bus 34 and may decode the command signals to provide various internal commands. For instance, the command decoder 32 may provide command signals to the internal clock generator 30 over the bus 36 to coordinate generation of the phase controlled internal clock signal LCLK. The phase controlled internal clock signal LCLK may be used to clock data through the I/O interface 16, for instance.

Further, the command decoder 32 may decode commands, such as read commands, write commands, mode-register set commands, activate commands, etc., and provide access to a particular memory bank 12 corresponding to the command, via the bus path 40. As will be appreciated, the memory device 10 may include various other decoders, such as row decoders and column decoders, to facilitate access to the memory banks 12. In one embodiment, each memory bank 12 includes a bank control block 22 which provides the necessary decoding (e.g., row decoder and column decoder), as well as other features, such as timing control and data control, to facilitate the execution of commands to and from the memory banks 12. Collectively, the memory banks 12 and the bank control blocks 22 may be referred to as a memory array 23.

The memory device 10 executes operations, such as read commands and write commands, based on the command/address signals received from an external device, such as a processor. In one embodiment, the command/address bus may be a 14-bit bus to accommodate the command/address signals (CA<13:0>). The command/address signals are clocked to the command interface 14 using the clock signals (Clk_t/ and Clk_c). The command interface may include a command address input circuit 20 which is configured to receive and transmit the commands to provide access to the memory banks 12, through the command decoder 32, for instance. In addition, the command interface 14 may receive a chip select signal (CS_n). The CS_n signal enables the memory device 10 to process commands on the incoming CA<13:0> bus. Access to specific banks 12 within the memory device 10 is encoded on the CA<13:0> bus with the commands.

In addition, the command interface 14 may be configured to receive a number of other command signals. For instance, a command/address on die termination (CA_ODT) signal may be provided to facilitate proper impedance matching within the memory device 10. A reset command (RESET_n) may be used to reset the command interface 14, status registers, state machines and the like, during power-up for instance. The command interface 14 may also receive a command/address invert (CAI) signal which may be provided to invert the state of command/address signals CA<13:0> on the command/address bus, for instance, depending on the command/address routing for the particular memory device 10. A mirror (MIR) signal may also be provided to facilitate a mirror function. The MIR signal may be used to multiplex signals so that they can be swapped for enabling certain routing of signals to the memory device 10, based on the configuration of multiple memory devices in a particular application. Various signals to facilitate testing of the memory device 10, such as the test enable (TEN) signal, may be provided, as well. For instance, the TEN signal may be used to place the memory device 10 into a test mode for connectivity testing.

The command interface 14 may also be used to provide an alert signal (ALERT_n) to the system processor or controller for certain errors that may be detected. For instance, an alert signal (ALERT_n) may be transmitted from the memory device 10 if a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error is detected. Other alert signals may also be generated. Further, the bus and pin for transmitting the alert signal (ALERT_n) from the memory device 10 may be used as an input pin during certain operations, such as the connectivity test mode executed using the TEN signal, as described above.

Data may be sent to and from the memory device 10, utilizing the command and clocking signals discussed above, by transmitting and receiving data signals 44 through the I/O interface 16. More specifically, the data may be sent to or retrieved from the memory banks 12 over the data bus 46, which includes a plurality of bi-directional data buses. Data I/O signals, generally referred to as DQ signals, are generally transmitted and received in one or more bi-directional data busses. For certain memory devices, such as a DDR5 SDRAM memory device, the I/O signals may be divided into upper and lower bytes. For instance, for an x16 memory device, the I/O signals may be divided into upper and lower I/O signals (e.g., DQ<15:8> and DQ<7:0>) corresponding to upper and lower bytes of the data signals, for instance.

To allow for higher data rates within the memory device 10, certain memory devices, such as DDR memory devices may utilize data strobe signals, generally referred to as DQS signals. The DQS signals are driven by the external processor or controller sending the data (e.g., for a write command) or by the memory device 10 (e.g., for a read command). For read commands, the DQS signals are effectively additional data output (DQ) signals with a predetermined pattern. For write commands, the DQS signals are used as clock signals to capture the corresponding input data. As with the clock signals (Clk_t/ and Clk_c), the data strobe (DQS) signals may be provided as a differential pair of data strobe signals (DQS_t/and DQS_c) to provide differential pair signaling during reads and writes. For certain memory devices, such as a DDR5 SDRAM memory device, the differential pairs of DQS signals may be divided into upper and lower data strobe signals (e.g., UDQS_t/ and UDQS_c; LDQS_t/ and LDQS_c) corresponding to upper and lower bytes of data sent to and from the memory device 10, for instance.

An impedance (ZQ) calibration signal may also be provided to the memory device 10 through the I/O interface 16. The ZQ calibration signal may be provided to a reference pin and used to tune output drivers and ODT values by adjusting pull-up and pull-down resistors of the memory device 10 across changes in process, voltage and temperature (PVT) values. Because PVT characteristics may impact the ZQ resistor values, the ZQ calibration signal may be provided to the ZQ reference pin to be used to adjust the resistance to calibrate the input impedance to known values. As will be appreciated, a precision resistor is generally coupled between the ZQ pin on the memory device 10 and GND/VSS external to the memory device 10. This resistor acts as a reference for adjusting internal ODT and drive strength of the IO pins.

In addition, a loopback signal (LOOPBACK) may be provided to the memory device 10 through the I/O interface 16. The loopback signal may be used during a test or debugging phase to set the memory device 10 into a mode wherein signals are looped back through the memory device 10 through the same pin. For instance, the loopback signal may be used to set the memory device 10 to test the data output of the memory device 10. Loopback may include both a data and a strobe or possibly just a data pin. This is generally intended to be used to monitor the data captured by the memory device 10 at the I/O interface 16.

As will be appreciated, various other components such as power supply circuits (for receiving external VDD and VSS signals), mode registers (to define various modes of programmable operations and configurations), read/write amplifiers (to amplify signals during read/write operations), temperature sensors (for sensing temperatures of the memory device 10), etc., may also be incorporated into the memory system 10. Accordingly, it should be understood that the block diagram of FIG. 1 is only provided to highlight certain functional features of the memory device 10 to aid in the subsequent detailed description.

In some embodiments, the memory device 10 may be disposed in (physically integrated into or otherwise connected to) a host device or otherwise coupled to a host device. The host device may include any one of a desktop computer, laptop computer, pager, cellular phone, personal organizer, portable audio player, control circuit, camera, etc. The host device may also be a network node, such as a router, a server, or a client (e.g., one of the previously-described types of computers). The host device may be some other sort of electronic device, such as a copier, a scanner, a printer, a game console, a television, a set-top video distribution or recording system, a cable box, a personal digital media player, a factory automation system, an automotive computer system, or a medical device. (The terms used to describe these various examples of systems, like many of the other terms used herein, may share some referents and, as such, should not be construed narrowly in virtue of the other items listed.)

The host device may, thus, be a processor-based device, which may include a processor, such as a microprocessor, that controls the processing of system functions and requests in the host. Further, any host processor may comprise a plurality of processors that share system control. The host processor may be coupled directly or indirectly to additional system elements of the host, such that the host processor controls the operation of the host by executing instructions that may be stored within the host or external to the host.

As discussed above, data may be written to and read from the memory device 10, for example, by the host whereby the memory device 10 operates as volatile memory, such as Double Data Rate DRAM (e.g., DDR5 SDRAM). The host may, in some embodiments, also include separate non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), PC-RAM, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory, metal-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (MONOS) memory, polysilicon floating gate based memory, and/or other types of flash memory of various architectures (e.g., NAND memory, NOR memory, etc.) as well as other types of memory devices (e.g., storage), such as solid state drives (SSD's), MultimediaMediaCards (MMC's), SecureDigital (SD) cards, CompactFlash (CF) cards, or any other suitable device. Further, it should be appreciated that the host may include one or more external interfaces, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), PCI Express (PCI-E), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), IEEE 1394 (Firewire), or any other suitable interface as well as one or more input devices to allow a user to input data into the host, for example, buttons, switching elements, a keyboard, a light pen, a stylus, a mouse, and/or a voice recognition system, for instance. The host may optionally also include an output device, such as a display coupled to the processor and a network interface device, such as a Network Interface Card (NIC), for interfacing with a network, such as the Internet. As will be appreciated, the host may include many other components, depending on the application of the host.

The host may operate to transfer data to the memory device 10 for storage and may read data from the memory device 10 to perform various operations at the host. Accordingly, to facilitate these data transmissions, in some embodiments, the I/O interface 16 may include a data transceiver 48 that operates to receive and transmit DQ signals to and from the I/O interface 16.

FIG. 2 illustrates the I/O interface 16 of the memory device 10 generally and, more specifically, the data transceiver 48. As illustrated, the data transceiver 48 of the I/O interface 16 may include a DQ connector 50, a DQ transceiver 52, and a serializer/deserializer 54. It should be noted that in some embodiments, multiple data transceivers 48 may be utilized that each single data transceiver 48 may be utilized in connection with a respective one of each of upper and lower I/O signals (e.g., DQ<15:8> and DQ<7:0>) corresponding to upper and lower bytes of the data signals, for instance. Thus, the I/O interface 16 may include a plurality of data transceivers 48, each corresponding to one or more I/O signals (e.g., inclusive of a respective DQ connector 50, DQ transceiver 52, and serializer/deserializer 54).

The DQ connector 50 may be, for example a pin, pad, combination thereof, or another type of interface that operates to receive DQ signals, for example, for transmission of data to the memory array 23 as part of a data write operation. Additionally, the DQ connector 50 may operate to transmit DQ signals from the memory device 10, for example, to transmit data from the memory array 23 as part of a data read operation. To facilitate these data reads/writes, a DQ transceiver 52 is present in data transceiver 48. In some embodiments, for example, the DQ transceiver 52 may receive a clock signal generated by the internal clock generator 30 as a timing signal for determining an output timing of a data read operation from the memory array 23. The clock signal transmitted by the internal clock generator 30 may be based upon one or more clocking signals received by the memory device 10 at clock connector 56 (e.g., a pin, pad, the combination thereof, etc.) and routed to the internal clock generator 30 via the clock input circuit 18. Thus, the DQ transceiver 52 may receive a clock signal generated by the internal clock generator 30 as a timing signal for determining an output timing of a data read operation from the memory array 23.

The DQ transceiver 52 of FIG. 2 may also, for example, receive one or more DQS signals to operate in strobe data mode as part of a data write operation. The DQS signals may be received at a DQS connector 60 (e.g., a pin, pad, the combination thereof, etc.) and routed to the DQ transceiver 52 via a DQS transceiver 60 that operates to control a data strobe mode via selective transmission of the DQS signals to the DQ transceiver 52. Thus, the DQ transceiver 52 may receive DQS signals to control a data write operation from the memory array 23.

As noted above, the data transceiver 48 may operate in modes to facilitate the transfers of the data to and from the memory device 10 (e.g., to and from the memory array 23). For example, to allow for higher data rates within the memory device 10, a data strobe mode in which DQS signals are utilized, may occur. The DQS signals may be driven by an external processor or controller sending the data (e.g., for a write command) as received by the DQS connector 58 (e.g., a pin, pad, the combination thereof, etc.). In some embodiments, the DQS signals are used as clock signals to capture the corresponding input data.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the data transceiver 48 also includes a serializer/deserializer 54 that operates to translate serial data bits (e.g., a serial bit stream) into a parallel data bits (e.g., a parallel bit stream) for transmission along data bus 46 during data write operations of the memory device 10. Likewise, the serializer/deserializer 54 operates to translate parallel data bits (e.g., a parallel bit stream) into serial data bits (e.g., a serial bit stream) during read operations of the memory device 10. In this manner, the serializer/deserializer 54 operates to translate data received from, for example, a host device having a serial format into a parallel format suitable for storage in the memory array 23 Likewise, the serializer/deserializer 54 operates to translate data received from, for example, the memory array 23 having a parallel format into a serial format suitable for transmission to a host device.

FIG. 3 illustrates the data transceiver 48 as including the DQ connector 50 coupled to data transfer bus 51, a DQ receiver 62, a DQ transmitter 64 (which in combination with the DQ receiver 62 forms the DQ transceiver 52), a deserializer 66, and a serializer 68 (which in combination with the deserializer 66 forms the serializer/deserializer 54). In operation, the host (e.g., a host processor or other memory device described above) may operate to transmit data in a serial form across data transfer bus 51 to the data transceiver 48 as part of a data write operation to the memory device 10. This data is received at the DQ connector 50 and transmitted to the DQ receiver 62. The DQ receiver 62, for example, may perform one or more operations on the data (e.g., amplification, driving of the data signals, etc.) and/or may operate as a latch for the data until reception of a respective DQS signal that operates to coordinate (e.g., control) the transmission of the data to the deserializer 66. As part of a data write operation, the deserializer 66 may operate to convert (e.g., translate) data from a format (e.g., a serial form) in which it is transmitted along data transfer bus 51 into a format (e.g., a parallel form) used for transmission of the data to the memory array 23 for storage therein.

Likewise, during a read operation (e.g., reading data from the memory array 23 and transmitting the read data to the host via the data transfer bus 51), the serializer 68 may receive data read from the memory array in one format (e.g., a parallel form) used by the memory array and may convert (e.g., translate) the received data into a second format (e.g., a serial form) so that the data may be compatible with one or more of the data transfer bus 51 and/or the host. The converted data may be transmitted from the serializer 68 to the DQ transmitter 64, whereby one or more operations on the data (e.g., de-amplification, driving of the data signals, etc.) may occur. Additionally, the DQ transmitter 64 may operate as a latch for the received data until reception of a respective clock signal, for example, from the internal clock generator 30, that operates to coordinate (e.g., control) the transmission of the data to the DQ connector 50 for transmission along the data transfer bus 51 to one or more components of the host.

In some embodiments, the data received at the DQ connector 50 may be distorted. For example, data received at the DQ connector 50 may be affected by inter-symbol interference (ISI) in which previously received data interferes with subsequently received data. For example, due to increased data volume being transmitted across the data transfer bus 51 to the DQ connector 50, the data received at the DQ connector 50 may be distorted relative to the data transmitted by the host. One technique to mitigate (e.g., offset or cancel) this distortion and to effectively reverse the effects of ISI is to apply an equalization operation to the data. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the data transceiver 48 inclusive of an equalizer that may be used in this equalization operation.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the data transceiver 48 inclusive of an equalizer, in particular, a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) 70. As illustrated, the DFE 70 is a multi-tap (e.g., four-tap) DFE 70. However, less or more than four taps may be utilized in conjunction with the DFE 70. Likewise, the DFE 70 may be disposed separate from or internal to the deserializer 66 or the DQ receiver 62. In operation, a binary output (e.g., from a latch or decision-making slicer) is captured in one or more data latches or data registers. In the present embodiment, these data latches or data registers may be disposed in the deserializer 66 and the values stored therein may be latched or transmitted along paths 72, 74, 76, and 78.

When a data bit is received at the DQ receiver 62, it may be identified as being transmitted from the host as bit “n” and may be received at a time t₀ as distorted bit n (e.g., bit n having been distorted by ISI). The most recent bit received prior to distorted bit n being received at the DQ receiver 62, e.g., received at time of t⁻¹ that immediately precedes time of t₀, may be identified as n-1 and is illustrated as being transmitted from a data latch or data register along path 72. The second most recent bit received prior to distorted bit n being received at the DQ receiver 62, e.g., received at time of t⁻² that immediately precedes time of t⁻¹, may be identified as n-2 and is illustrated as being transmitted from a data latch or data register along path 74. The third most recent bit received prior to distorted bit n being received at the DQ receiver 62, e.g., received at time of t⁻³ that immediately precedes time of t⁻², may be identified as n-3 and is illustrated as being transmitted from a data latch or data register along path 76. The fourth most recent bit received prior to distorted bit n being received at the DQ receiver 62, e.g., received at time of t⁻³ that immediately precedes time of t⁻², may be identified as n-4 and is illustrated as being transmitted from a data latch or data register along path 78. Bits n-1, n-2, n-3, and n-4 may be considered the group of bits that interfere with received distorted bit n (e.g., bits n-1, n-2, n-3, and n-4 cause ISI to host transmitted bit n) and the DFE 70 may operate to offset the distortion caused by the group of bits n-1, n-2, n-3, and n-4 on host transmitted bit n.

Thus, the values latched or transmitted along paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 may correspond, respectively, to the most recent previous data values (e.g., preceding bits n-1, n-2, n-3, and n-4) transmitted from the DQ receiver 62 to be stored in memory array 23. These previously transmitted bits are fed back along paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 to the DFE 70, which operates to generate weighted taps (e.g., voltages) that may be and added to the received input signal (e.g., data received from the DQ connector 50, such as distorted bit n) by means of a summer (e.g., a summing amplifier). In other embodiments, the weighted taps (e.g., voltages) may be combined with an initial reference value to generate an offset that corresponds to or mitigates the distortion of the received data (e.g., mitigates the distortion of distorted bit n). In some embodiments, taps are weighted to reflect that the most recent previously received data (e.g., bit n-1) may have a stronger influence on the distortion of the received data (e.g., distorted bit n) than bits received at earlier times (e.g., bits n-1, n-2, and n-3). The DFE 70 may operate to generate magnitudes and polarities for taps (e.g., voltages) due to each previous bit to collectively offset the distortion caused by those previously received bits.

For example, for the present embodiment, each of previously received bits n-1, n-2, n-3, and n-4 could have had one of two values (e.g., a binary 0 or 1), which was transmitted to the deserializer 66 for transmission to the memory array 23 and, additionally, latched or saved in a register for subsequent transmission along respective paths 72, 74, 76, and 78. In the illustrated embodiment, this leads to sixteen (e.g., 2⁴) possible binary combinations (e.g., 0000, 0001, 0010, . . . , 1110, or 1111) for the group of bits n-1, n-2, n-3, and n-4. The DFE 70 operates to select and/or generate corresponding tap values for whichever of the aforementioned sixteen combinations are determined to be present (e.g., based on the received values along paths 72, 74, 76, and 78) to be used to adjust either the input value received from the DQ connector 50 (e.g., distorted bit n) or to modify a reference value that is subsequently applied to the input value received from the DQ connector 50 (e.g., distorted bit n) so as to cancel the ISI distortion from the previous bits in the data stream (e.g., the group of bits n-1, n-2, n-3, and n-4).

Use of distortion correction (e.g., a DFE 70) may be beneficial such that data transmitted from the DQ connector 50 is correctly represented in the memory array 23 without distortion. Accordingly, it may be useful to store the previous bit data to use in the distortion correction. As illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 5, a distortion correction circuit 80 may be included as part of the DQ receiver 62 but may not be required to be physically located there (e.g., the distortion correction circuit 80 may instead be coupled to the DQ receiver 62). In some embodiments, the distortion correction circuit 80 may be operated to provide previously transmitted bit data to correct a distorted bit 81 (e.g., bit having been distorted by ISI and/or system distortions) transmitted via a channel 84 (e.g., connection, transmission line, and/or conductive material).

The distorted bit 81 may be transmitted to an amplifying device 82 (e.g., variable gain amplifier) from a channel 84. The distorted bit 81 may be transmitted from the amplifying device 82 to the DFE 70, illustrated as having a single weighted tap 86. The distorted bit 81 may be transmitted simultaneously with a DQ reference signal 83 to the DFE 70. The DQ reference signal 83 may represent a threshold value (e.g., a voltage level) for determination if the transmitted bit received by the DQ connection 50 was a logical low (e.g., 0) or a logical high (e.g., 1).

The DFE 70 may be operated to correct the distortion from the distorted bit 81 using the tap weighted with previous bit data (e.g., n-1 bit data). Data (e.g., logical 1 or logical 0) for an n-1 bit may be transmitted through the path 72. The magnitudes and polarities of the single weighted tap 86 may offset the total distortion caused by the n-1 bit via summer circuit 85, which operates as a current summer that applies current to the distorted bit 81 to offset for distortion caused by the n-1 bit. For example, if the received bit at the DQ connection 50 is determined to be below the DQ reference signal 83, the received bit 81 is transmitted to the memory array 23 as a logical low. The magnitude and polarity of the weighted tap 86 may be able to correct the distorted bit 81 and the DQ reference signal 83.

A modified version of the distorted bit 81 and a modified version of the DQ reference signal 83 may be transmitted to a data latch 94. A corrected bit 88 may be generated via the data latch 94 and transmitted from the data latch 94 to the deserializer 66, which may occur on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. In other embodiments, variations of the clocking scheme may be followed to be inclusive of additional or alternative methods of data transmission. The value for the new n-1 bit may be stored, for example, in the deserializer 66 for transmission along the path 72 when the corrected bit 88 is received in the deserializer 66. The distortion correction circuitry associated with the DFE 70 and the amplifying device 82 may be described in greater detail below.

FIG. 6 illustrates a circuit diagram of a portion of the DFE 70 of FIG. 5 that may negate distortions associated with the distorted bit 81. Data bits may be received at a first input 102 and a second input 104 to the summer circuit 85. The first input 102 and the second input 104 may be communicatively coupled to a device that may be enabled or disabled (e.g., field effect transistors 106 and 108). The distorted bit 81 may be received by the first input 102 and the DQ reference signal 83 may be received by the second input 104. In this manner, two of the field effect transistors 106 and 108 may be controlled by the distorted bit 81 and the DQ reference signal 83.

The weighted tap 86 and its inverse value (e.g., inverse weighted tap 87) may be transmitted to the outputs 110 and 112 to correct the distortion in the distorted bit 81. A logical high for the n-1 bit is transmitted through the path 72. In this case, the n-1 bit may be implemented to generate the weighted tap 86 and the inverse weighted tap 87 as a control signal for two field effect transistors 116 and 118 enabling the contribution of the weighted tap values 86 and 87 to the outputs 110 and 112.

The weighted tap values 86 and 87 may allow for current to be applied to outputs 110 and 112, whereby the current supplied is controlled through a controllable source 120 (e.g., a current source controlled by a digital to analog converter). The outputs 110 and 112 may be modified values of one or more of the DQ reference signal 83 and the distorted bit 81 and may be transmitted to the data latch 94 (e.g., a regenerative latch or slicer that generates a binary output). The corrected bit 88 may be generated via the data latch 94 based on the outputs 110 and 112 and may be transmitted to the deserializer 66 on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. The n-1 bit information stored for transmission along the path 72 in the deserializer 66 may be updated with the corrected bit 88 for future distortion corrections.

In some applications, the corrected bit 88 may need to have a greater level of precision of adjustment than the weighted taps 86 and 87 may provide. FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a distortion correction circuit 160 that may receive four bits of previous data (e.g., n-1 bit data, n-2 bit data, n-3 bit data, and n-4 bit data) to create four weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 to perform a more precise distortion correction to the distorted bit 81. In a similar manner to the distortion correction circuit 80, the distorted bit 81 may be transmitted to the amplifying device 82 via the channel 84. The DQ reference signal 83 may also be transmitted to the amplifying device 82.

From the amplifying device 82, the distorted bit 81 and the DQ reference signal 83 may be transmitted to the DFE 70. Bit data for the previous bits may be transmitted through the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78. The DFE 70 may be operated to correct the distortion from the distorted bit 81 using the four weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 created from the bit data for the four previous bits. The DFE 70 may be operated to generate magnitudes and polarities for each of the weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 for each of the previous bits transmitted along paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 which may be designed to offset the total distortion to the distorted bit 81 caused by the previously received bits.

One or more of a modified version of the distorted bit 81 and a modified version of the DQ reference signal 83 may be transmitted to the data latch 94. The corrected bit 88 may be transmitted to the deserializer 66 on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96 from the data latch 94. The deserializer 66 may be updated with the values for the n-1 bit, n-2 bit, n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit and the values may be stored for transmission along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78. The distortion correction circuitry associated with the DFE 70 may be described in greater detail below.

FIG. 8 illustrates a circuit diagram of a portion of the DFE 70 of FIG. 7 that may negate distortions. As additionally illustrated in FIG. 8, the DFE 70 may receive a logical high or low for the n-1 bit, the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, or the n-4 bit, or any combination therein through the data transmitted on paths 72, 74, 76, and 78. In this case, data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 may be implemented to generate the weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 and the inverse weighted taps 87, 163, 165, and 167 as control signals for the field effect transistors 116, 118, 182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 to control outputs therefrom transmitted to the outputs 110 and 112. The field effect transistors 116, 118, 182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 may be selectively and controllably activated to reflect one of the sixteen (e.g., 2⁴) different possible binary states represented by the various combinations of previously corrected bits (e.g., 0000, 0001, 0010, . . . , 1111).

The weighted tap 86, 87, 162, 163, 164, 166 and 167 values may be applied to the outputs 110 and 112, whereby the current supplied is controlled through the controllable source 120 and additional controllable sources 194, 196, and 198 (e.g., a current source controlled by a digital to analog converter). The outputs 110 and 112 may be transmitted to the data latch 94. The corrected bit 88 may be generated via the data latch 94 based upon the outputs 110 and 112 and may be transmitted to the deserializer 66 on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. The n-1 bit, the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit information stored for transmission along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 in the deserializer 66 may be updated with the corrected bit 88 (e.g., n-4 bit will update to reflect n-3 data, n-3 bit will update to reflect n-2 data, n-2 data will update to reflect n-1 data, and n-1 data will update with the newly corrected bit) for future distortion corrections.

FIG. 9 illustrates the distortion correction circuit 200 which may be capable of receiving and processing four data bits in a rolling manner. For example, the distortion correction circuit 200 may include four distortion correction circuits 202, 204, 206, and 208, which are each similar to the DFE 70 described in FIG. 7. The distortion correction circuits 202, 204, 206, and 208 include summers 210, 212, 214, and 216, respectively, that may operate as described in FIG. 8 with respect to summer circuit 85. The four distortion circuits 202, 204, 206, and 208 are referred to as the first circuit 202, the second circuit 204, the third circuit 206, and the fourth circuit 208. One embodiment for implementing rolling distortion correction utilizing the distortion correction circuit 200 is described below.

A distorted bit stream may be received at the amplifying device 82. A first distorted bit 81 of the bit stream may be received by the first circuit 202 (e.g., after having been amplified by amplifying device 82), the second distorted bit 218 of the bit stream may be received by the second circuit 204, the third distorted bit 220 of the bit stream may be received by the third circuit 206, a fourth distorted bit 222 of the bit stream may be received by the fourth circuit 208, and a fifth distorted bit may be rolled back to be received by the first circuit once the first iteration of the distortion correction of distorted bit 81 has been completed.

To elaborate further, the first circuit 202 may receive the distorted bit 81 from the amplifying device 82 and may begin to process it using the method described above with respect the distortion correction circuit 160, e.g., using the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 to calculate the value necessary with the summer circuit 210. A voltage correction signal 224 (e.g., an amplified DQ reference signal 83) may also be transmitted to the first circuit 202 and utilized in the correction of the distorted bit 81. Corrected bit 88 of the data latch 226 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96 as a DFE adjusted bit from output 234.

The inputs used for the determination of the corrected bit transmitted from output 236 for the second circuit 204 may be different from the inputs for the first circuit 202. The second circuit 204 may receive a second distorted bit 218 and the voltage correction signal 224 and began processing the second distorted bit 218, after the distorted bit 81 is received and is being processed via the first circuit 202. The method described with respect to the distortion correction circuit 160 may be used to correct the second distorted bit 218 with the summer circuit 212, as the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 may be used to perform a more precise distortion correction to the distorted bit 218 via the circuitry described in FIG. 8. The DFE adjusted (e.g., corrected bit) of the data latch 228 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96 from output 236.

The inputs used for the determination of the corrected bit transmitted from output 238 for the third circuit 206 may be different from the inputs for the second circuit 204. The third circuit 206 may receive a third distorted bit 220 and the voltage correction signal 224 and began processing the third distorted bit 220, after the second distorted bit 218 is received and is being processed via the second circuit 204. The method described with respect to the distortion correction circuit 160 may be used to correct the third distorted bit 220 with the summer circuit 214, as the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 may be used to perform a more precise distortion correction to the distorted bit 220 via the circuitry described in FIG. 8. The DFE adjusted (e.g., corrected bit) of the data latch 230 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96 from output 238.

The inputs used for the determination of the corrected bit transmitted from output 240 for the fourth circuit 208 may be different from the inputs for the third circuit 206. The fourth circuit 208 may receive a fourth distorted bit 222 and the voltage correction signal 224 and began processing the fourth distorted bit 222, after the third distorted bit 220 is received and is being processed via the third circuit 206. The method described with respect to the distortion correction circuit 160 may be used to correct the fourth distorted bit 222 with the summer circuit 216, as the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 may be used to perform a more precise distortion correction to the distorted bit 222 via the circuitry described in FIG. 8. The DFE adjusted (e.g., corrected bit) of the data latch 232 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96 from output 240.

The outputs 234, 236, 238, and 240 from the first, second, third and fourth circuits 202, 204, 206, and 208 may be sent to the deserializer 66 at the conclusion of each final decision generating the respective corrected bits from the first, second, third and fourth circuits 202, 204, 206, and 208. In the deserializer 66, the n-1 bit, the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit may be used to update the data stored in the deserializer 66 for transmission along the paths 72-78 in accordance with the corrected bit data (e.g., the corrected bit from the first circuit 202 will be stored for transmission along the path 78, the corrected bit data from the second circuit 204 will be stored for transmission along the path 76, the corrected bit data from the third circuit 206 will be stored for transmission along the path 74, and the corrected bit data from the fourth circuit 208 will be stored for transmission along the path 72). It may be noted that the corrected bit may not have completed transmission to the deserializer 66, nor updated values stored for transmission along the paths 72-78 prior to the reception of the fifth distorted bit, thus the method of delaying the final determination of the corrected bits may be continued.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a distortion correction circuit 242 that may receive four bits of previous data (e.g., n-1 bit data, n-2 bit data, n-3 bit data, and n-4 bit data) to create four weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 to perform a more precise distortion correction to the distorted bit 81. In a similar manner to the distortion correction circuit 160, the distorted bit 81 may be transmitted via the channel 84. However, as illustrated, the amplifying device 82 of FIG. 7 may be eliminated in connection with the distortion correction circuit 242 of FIG. 10. Elimination of this amplifying device 82 may allow, for example, increased bandwidth transmission of a bit stream that includes the distorted bit 81 in the DQ receiver 62 by elimination of the amplifying device that may otherwise slow reception of the bit stream that includes the distorted bit 81.

Instead, the distorted bit 81 and the DQ reference signal 83 may be transmitted to the DFE 244 at inputs 250 and 252, respectively. Bit data for the previous bits may be transmitted through the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78. The DFE 244 may be operated to correct the distortion from the distorted bit 81 using the four weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 created from the bit data for the four previous bits. The DFE 244 may be operated to generate magnitudes and polarities for each of the weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 for each of the previous bits transmitted along paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 which may be designed to offset the total distortion to the distorted bit 81 caused by the previously received bits.

One or more of a modified version of the distorted bit 81 and a modified version of the DQ reference signal 83 may be transmitted to a data latch portion of the DFE 244. The corrected bit 88 may be transmitted to the deserializer 66 on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96 from the data latch portion of the DFE 244. The deserializer 66 may be updated with the values for the n-1 bit, n-2 bit, n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit and the values may be stored for transmission along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78. The distortion correction circuitry associated with the DFE 244 may be described in greater detail below.

FIG. 11 illustrates a circuit diagram of the equalizer or DFE 244 (e.g., regenerative latch circuitry and DFE circuitry such as summer circuitry combined or integrated into one device) of FIG. 10 that may negate distortions. It should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that additional stages result in reduced bandwidth.

In a first portion 260 (e.g., a first portion of a regenerative comparator or a regenerative latch), data bits may be received at a first input 102 and a second input 104 to the equalizer 244. The first input 102 and the second input 104 may be communicatively coupled to a device that may be enabled or disabled (e.g., field effect transistors 106 and 108). The distorted bit 81 may be received at the first input 102 and the DQ reference signal 83 may be received at the second input 104. In this manner, two of the field effect transistors 106 and 108 may be controlled by the distorted bit 81 and the DQ reference signal 83. Data outputs 262 and 264 from field effect transistors 106 and 108 are sent to the second portion 266 based on the DQS signal 96 as a clock signal of the first portion 260 that operates to track the input voltages applied at input 202 and input 104 as the DQS signal, for example, transitions high.

The second portion 266 of the circuit diagram of the equalizer 244 generally applies weighted tap values to the outputs from the first portion 260 and, accordingly, operates generally as a summer circuit (e.g., a summing amplifier). As described for the DFE 70 illustrated in FIG. 8, the DFE 244 may receive a logical high or low for the n-1 bit, the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, or the n-4 bit, or any combination therein through the data transmitted on paths 72, 74, 76, and 78. Data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 may be implemented to generate the weighted taps 86, 162, 164, and 166 and the inverse weighted taps 87, 163, 165, and 167 as control signals for the field effect transistors 116, 118, 182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 to control outputs therefrom transmitted to the outputs 272 and 274. The field effect transistors 116, 118, 182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 may be selectively and controllably activated to reflect one of the sixteen (e.g., 2⁴) different possible binary states represented by the various combinations of previously corrected bits (e.g., 0000, 0001, 0010, . . . , 1111).

The weighted tap 86, 87, 162, 163, 164, 166 and 167 values may be applied to the outputs 110 and 112, whereby the current supplied is controlled through the controllable source 120 and additional controllable sources 194, 196, and 198 (e.g., a current source controlled by a digital to analog converter). The outputs 272 and 274 may be transmitted to the third portion 268 (e.g., a second portion of a regenerative comparator or a regenerative latch). In the third portion 268, a feedback may be applied, for example, as the DQS signal as goes low, to be output from the third portion 268, for example, as the DQS signal 96 goes high again. The corrected bit 88 may be generated via the equalizer 244 based upon the outputs 110 and 112 and may be transmitted to the deserializer 66 on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. In this manner, the first portion 260 and the third portion 268 operate as a regenerative latch in a manner similar to the data latch 94 with the second portion 266 operating as a summer circuit that operates in a manner similar to summer circuit 85 to generate the corrected bit 88. The n-1 bit, the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit information stored for transmission along the paths 72, 74, 76, and 78 in the deserializer 66 may be updated with the corrected bit 88 (e.g., n-4 bit will update to reflect n-3 data, n-3 bit will update to reflect n-2 data, n-2 data will update to reflect n-1 data, and n-1 data will update with the newly corrected bit) for future distortion corrections.

One solution to delays in processing that may occur with respect to the distortion correction circuit 242 may include calculating the distortion contribution of the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit using both possibilities of values of the n-1 bit (e.g., logical high and logical low) and discarding the calculated value that utilized the incorrect value of the n-1 bit when that value is determined. FIG. 12 illustrates a distortion correction circuit 280 which may implement this solution.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of the distortion correction circuit 280 which may implement an efficient solution for handling data transmitted faster than otherwise may be processed. Additionally, the distortion correction circuit 280 may be utilized separate from the inclusion of any amplifying device 82. The distortion correction circuit 280 includes a first equalizer 282 and a second equalizer 284, each of which may operate generally as described above with respect to DFE 244, as well as a selection device 286 (e.g., a multiplexer). The distorted bit 81 may be transmitted to the input 250 of the first equalizer 282 as well as to the input 250 of the second equalizer 284.

The input 252 of the first equalizer 282 also receives a voltage correction signal 292 and the input 252 of the second equalizer receives a voltage correction signal 294. The voltage correction signal 292, transmitted to the equalizer 282, may be different than the voltage correction signal 294, transmitted to the equalizer 284. The equalizer 282 may receive the voltage correction signal 292 as the DQ reference signal 83 as modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit n-1 corresponding to a logical high. Similarly, the equalizer 284 may receive the voltage correction signal 294 as the DQ reference signal 83 as modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit n-1 corresponding to a logical low.

The equalizers 282 and 284 may correct the distortion associated with the distorted bit 81, using the three inputs using the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 74, 76, and 78 to calculate the value necessary with the equalizer. This may be done in such a way that the output 296 from the equalizer 282 represents the corrected bit 88 with the n-1 bit as a logical high while the output 298 from the equalizer 284 represents the corrected bit 88 if the n-1 bit is a logical low. Thus, each of the equalizer 282 and the equalizer 284 may operate in a manner similar to the portion of the equalizer 244 of FIG. 10 with one difference; only three paths that may negate distortions are utilized (e.g., corresponding to bits n-2, n-3, and n-4) with their respective weighted taps and current supplied via three respective controllable sources.

Once outputs 296 and 298 are transmitted to the selection device 286, enough time will have passed for the n-1 bit to have been determined, stored, and transmitted from the deserializer 66, such that the selection device 286 can receive the value transmitted along path 72 as a selection control signal (e.g., a multiplexer selection or control signal). The n-1 bit value transmitted along the path 72 may be used to select the corrected bit from the outputs 296 and 298. If the n-1 bit is logical high, the output 296 may be selected as being the corrected bit 88. However, if the n-1 bit is logical low, the output 298 may be selected as being the corrected bit 88. The output from the selection device 286 may be sent to the deserializer 66 as the corrected bit 88. In the deserializer 66, the n-1 bit, the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit may be updated in accordance with the corrected bit 88 (e.g., n-4 bit will update to reflect n-3 data, n-3 bit will update to reflect n-2 data, n-2 data will update to reflect n-1 data, and n-1 data will update with the newly corrected bit 88). It may be noted that the corrected bit 88 may not complete transmission and updating of all values prior to the reception of the second distorted bit 218, thus the method as described above utilizing dual calculations of the corrected bit value based upon contributions from the n-1 bit being both logically high and logically low may be repeated.

FIG. 13 illustrates the distortion correction circuit 300 which may be capable of processing four data bits at a four bit distortion correction level, and includes the distortion correction circuit 280, a second circuit 302, a third circuit 304, and a fourth circuit 306, which may be distortion correction circuits similar to the distortion correction circuit 280 with modification to their respective inputs. Distorted bit 81 may be received by the first circuit 280, a second distorted bit 218 may be received by the second circuit 302, a third distorted bit 220 may be received by the third circuit 304, a fourth distorted bit 222 may be received by the fourth circuit 306, and a fifth distorted bit may be rolled back to be received by the first circuit 280 once the first iteration of the distortion correction is complete.

To elaborate further, the first circuit 280 may receive the distorted bit 81 and may begin to process it using the method described with the distortion correction circuit 280, using the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 74, 76, and 78 to calculate the values necessary to supply the equalizers 282 and 284. The voltage correction signals 292 and 294 may represent a modified DQ reference signal 83 having been adjusted for the contribution of a bit value for n-1 being logically high and low, respectively, and may be utilized in the correction of the distorted bit 81. Outputs 296 and 298 to the selection device 286 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. The selection device 286 may use the n-1 bit value stored in the deserializer 66 and transmitted along path 72 to make the final decision on which value the corrected bit 88 value takes (e.g., that of output 296 or output 298).

The inputs used for the determination of the corrected bit 88 for the second circuit 302 may be different from the inputs for the first circuit 280. The second circuit 302 may receive the second distorted bit 218 and may begin processing of the second distorted bit 218 in parallel with each of the voltage correction signal 308 as the DQ reference signal 83 modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit value transmitted along path 78 corresponding to a logical high and the voltage correction signal 310 as the DQ reference signal 83 modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit value transmitted along path 78 corresponding to a logical low. The method described with the distortion correction circuit 280 may be used to correct the distorted bit 218, except that the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, and 76 may be used to calculate the values necessary to provide a correction to the equalizers 286 and 288. Outputs 312 and 314 to the selection device 316 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. The selection device 316 for the second circuit 302 may use the bit value stored in the deserializer 66 for transmission along path 78 to make the final decision on the corrected bit 88 value of the second distorted bit 218.

The inputs used for the determination of the corrected bit 88 for the third circuit 304 may be different from the inputs for the second circuit 302. The third circuit 304 may receive the third distorted bit 220 and may begin processing of the third distorted bit 220 in parallel with each of the voltage correction signal 318 as the DQ reference signal 83 modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit value transmitted along path 76 corresponding to a logical high and the voltage correction signal 320 as the DQ reference signal 83 modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit value transmitted along path 76 corresponding to a logical low. The method described with the distortion correction circuit 280 may be used to correct the distorted bit 220, except that the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 72, 74, and 78 may be used to calculate the values necessary to provide a correction to the equalizers 322 and 324. Outputs 326 and 328 to the selection device 312 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. The selection device 330 for the third circuit 282 may use the bit value stored in the deserializer 66 for transmission along path 76 to make the final decision on the corrected bit 88 value of the third distorted bit 220.

The inputs used for the determination of the corrected bit 88 for the fourth circuit 306 may be different from the inputs for the third circuit 304. The fourth circuit 306 may receive the fourth distorted bit 222 and may begin processing of the fourth distorted bit 222 in parallel with each of the voltage correction signal 330 as the DQ reference signal 83 modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit value transmitted along path 74 corresponding to a logical high and the voltage correction signal 332 as the DQ reference signal 83 modified by an amount of adjustment related to the most recently received bit value transmitted along path 74 corresponding to a logical low. The method described with the distortion correction circuit 280 may be used to correct the distorted bit 222, except that the previous bit or weighted tap data transmitted along the paths 72, 76, and 78 may be used to calculate the values necessary to provide a correction to the equalizers 334 and 336. Outputs 338 and 340 to the selection device 342 may be transmitted on the rising edge of the DQS signal 96. The selection device 342 for the fourth circuit 306 may use the bit value stored in the deserializer 66 for transmission along path 74 to make the final decision on the corrected bit 88 value of the fourth distorted bit 222.

The output from the selection devices 286, 316, 330, and 342 may be sent to the deserializer 66 at the conclusion of each final decision on the corrected bit 88. In the deserializer 66, the n-1 bit, the n-2 bit, the n-3 bit, and the n-4 bit may be used to update the data stored in the deserializer 66 for transmission along the paths 72-78 in accordance with the corrected bit 88 data. It may be noted that the corrected bit 88 may not have completed transmission to the deserializer 66, nor updated values stored for transmission along the paths 72-78 prior to the reception of the fifth distorted bit, thus the method of delaying the final selection of the corrected bit 88 may be continued. Thus, the first circuit 280 may apply weighted values from the fourth circuit 306 in parallel until the corrected bit 88 is determined from the fourth circuit 306 and used as a selection bit for the first circuit 280. Similarly, the second circuit 302 may apply weighted values from the first circuit 280 in parallel until the corrected bit 88 is determined from the first circuit 280 and is used as a selection bit for the second circuit 302. Likewise, the third circuit 304 may apply weighted values from the second circuit 302 in parallel until the corrected bit 88 is determined from the second circuit 302 and is used as a selection bit for the third circuit 304. The fourth circuit 306 may apply weighted values from the third circuit 304 in parallel until the corrected bit 88 is determined from the third circuit 304 and is used as a selection bit for the fourth circuit 306.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram to illustrate the correction due to ISI performed by an embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. In the first step, data is received by the receiver (block 350). As illustrated in the flow diagram, this may be bit n, and the previous bits received are n-1, n-2, n-3, n-4 . . . Bit n is then corrected by n-1, n-2, n-3 (block 352) as bit n-1 may not be deserialized yet. Instead of waiting to correct bit n by bit n-1, the input is corrected by two parallel paths. In one instance, n is corrected assuming n-1 was read as high (354), and in the other case n is corrected assuming n-1 was read as low (block 356). At some time after these corrections are applied, the corrected bit n-1 will be received (block 358). Based on the value of bit n-1, the correct bit n is selected from the values of n determined at block 354 and 356. The correct bit is selected (block 360) is then sent to a deserializer (block 362).

Accordingly, the technical effects of the present disclosure include a method and system that creates reference voltages for the purpose of signal distortion correction. The method and system include a process to calculate all combinations of possible distortions before an input signal is received. This allows the distortion correction values to be ready to modify a distorted input bit without requiring the resources to create the distortion correction value at each instance of the input of distorted bits.

While the present disclosure may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the present disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following appended claims.

The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). 

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a channel; and an equalizer configured to be directly coupled to the channel, wherein the equalizer comprises: a first input directly coupled to the channel, wherein the first input is configured to receive an input signal from the channel; a second input configured to receive a reference signal; a third input configured to receive an adjustment signal; and a first output configured to transmit a corrected signal, wherein the corrected signal is generated based on data outputs controlled via the input signal, the reference signal, and a clock signal, wherein the data outputs are modified based on the adjustment signal, wherein corrected signal offsets inter-symbol interference on the input signal based on a data bit received at the first input from the channel prior to reception of the input signal.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the equalizer comprises an integrated summation circuit and latch circuit.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the equalizer comprises a fourth input configured to receive a second adjustment signal, a fifth input configured to receive a third adjustment signal, and a sixth input configured to receive a fourth adjustment signal, wherein the corrected signal is generated based additionally on modifications to the data outputs based on the second adjustment signal, the third adjustment signal, and the fourth adjustment signal.
 4. The device of claim 1, comprising a deserializer coupled to the equalizer and configured to receive the corrected signal from the equalizer.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the deserializer is configured to store an indication of a logical value of the corrected signal.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the deserializer is configured to transmit the indication of the logical value of the corrected signal as the adjustment signal.
 7. A device, comprising: a deserializer, comprising: a first input; a first output configured to output a first signal; and a distortion correction circuit coupled to the deserializer and configured to be directly coupled to a channel, wherein the distortion correction circuit comprises: a second input configured to receive an input signal directly from the channel; a third input configured to receive a reference signal; a fourth input coupled to the first output, wherein the fourth input is configured to receive a first adjustment signal based at least in part on the first signal; and a second output coupled to the first input of the deserializer, wherein the third output is configured to output a corrected signal generated based on the input signal, the reference signal, and the first adjustment signal.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the deserializer comprises a second output configured to output a second signal to the distortion correction circuit.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the distortion correction circuit comprises a fifth input coupled to the second output of the deserializer, wherein the distortion correction circuit is configured to selectively output the corrected signal based on the second signal.
 10. The device of claim 7, wherein the deserializer is configured to receive the corrected signal as having a first format.
 11. The device of claim 7, wherein the deserializer comprises a second output, wherein the deserializer is configured to transmit data inclusive of the corrected signal in a second format.
 12. The device of claim 7, wherein the corrected signal offsets inter-symbol interference on the input signal based on a data bit received at the second input from the channel prior to reception of the input signal.
 13. The device of claim 7, wherein the distortion correction circuit is configured to determine a logic level of the input signal utilizing the reference signal.
 14. The device of claim 7, wherein the input signal comprises a distorted bit from a data stream.
 15. A method, comprising: outputting a first adjustment signal along a first data channel; outputting a second adjustment signal along a second data channel; and receiving a first corrected signal along a third data channel, wherein the first corrected signal is generated based in part on a data bit signal and the first adjustment signal, wherein the first corrected signal is selected based on a logical state of the second adjustment signal.
 16. The method of claim 15, comprising outputting one or more additional adjustment signals, wherein the first corrected signal is based in part on the one or more additional adjustment signals.
 17. The method of claim 15, comprising storing the first corrected signal prior to outputting the first corrected signal.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first corrected signal comprises an indication of an actual logical state of the data bit signal.
 19. The method of claim 15, comprising outputting the first corrected signal along the first channel as a third adjustment signal.
 20. The method of claim 19, comprising generating a second corrected signal based in part on a second data bit signal and the third adjustment signal. 